Theme – What’s with all the vampires?
Vampires appear in folk tales and culture the world over, and go back as far as ancient Greece and Rome. Why are we so fascinated with them? With the Nosferatu remake being released on Christmas Day, vampires seemed like a great topic for kicking off this discussion group.
- Do you have a favourite vampire novel?
- What are your thoughts on the enduring popularity of vampires?
3) Vampires speak to many primal fears – let’s take a look at some of them.
- Blood:
- What does drinking blood symbolize?
- What feelings does it evoke – fear? Disgust? Arousal?
- What does this say about how we react to blood – many people faint at the sight of blood. Menstruating women are often thought to be unclean, and the AIDs crisis made blood a feared and deadly substance.
- Has our fascination with vampires evolved through the centuries?
- Sex: Vampires are commonly understood to be sexy. Why?
- Does the fact that they hypnotize/seduce their victims give women permission to sexual in a world that wants to suppress that?
- Are vampires inherently queer?
- Death: Vampires can symbolize both death and immortality – two things that fascinate and horrify us. Why do they have this effect on us?
4) Are vampires in fiction overdone? Will they ever become passe or will they always hold a certain fascination for us?
5) Do you prefer classic or modern vampire fiction?
5) Many vampires novels have been turned into movies – what your favourite (and least favourite) movie adaptation of a vampire novel?
Reading recommendations:
Dracula – Bram Stoker
Interview with Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, Queen of the Damned – Anne Rice
Carmilla – Sheridan Le Fanu
Salem’s Lot – Stephen King
Lost Souls – Billy Martin (published under the name Poppy Z. Brite)
The Hunger – Whitley Strieber
Let The Right One In – John Ajvide Lindqvist
Non-fiction:
Dracula: Sense & Nonsense – Elizabeth Miller
How To Kill A Vampire – Liisa Ladouceur
Rock 'n' Roll Animal 
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